How to Style Amazing Stock Images for Your Blog and Instagram

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I’ve talked a lot recently about visuals for your blog and business. Clearly it is an important topic. Aesthetics are huge in branding. I’ve mentioned many times before that you MUST have appealing images that are well branded to engage your ideal client or audience. Which is why today I’m teaching you how to create styled stock photos for your blog and Instagram.

Not only do visuals help engage your client but they also make you memorable. People will start to know you by your brand. For example Allison Marshall of Wonderlass… she is brilliant! Her whole brand is bright, fun, and comical. When you see her images you know it’s HER before you see her name. That is what you want too!

What is holding you back from a cohesive brand? If you’re like me it was the urge to shoot all your own photos. While that is a great goal, but with all the other things on our plate as entrepreneurs it is sometimes unrealistic.

Insert styled stock photos for your blog! When I started shooting and using styled stock photos for my blog my social media platforms were much more cohesive which grew my following so much! I know yours will too! Which is why I’ve got your back with these styled stock FREEBIES!

Okay okay… so you still have the bug of wanting to take some of your own branded images?

Well let’s do it! I’m going to share with you some foolproof tips and tricks for capturing your own styled stock photos for your blog that fit your brand!

As I’m sure you already know my branding is centered around a natural, organic, simple, and feminine theme. I am all about the white space, florals, greenery, planners + blogging tools. So, naturally when I set up to shoot an image it involves lots of natural light and white backgrounds.

When you’re planning your images you want to keep in mind the cohesiveness of your brand. What is your style? Are you dark and edgy, colorful and loud, or more like me, simple, natural, and feminine? Choose backgrounds that reflect YOUR style!

For me, it is as simple as using a white chair, comforter, or white foam board… YES, I said foam board. Literally $1 white foam board is used in the making of my styled photos. If you’re all about the white spaces, go get some white foam board… like right now! Or you can purchase one of these affordable options too!

Next, after choosing the background of my photo I think about what I want in the image. What am I shooting the image for? Is it to be posted on my Instagram as a way to engage with my audience? Is it an image to promote a blog post? Let’s say I want to create an image to promote my blog post about social media. I would most likely choose my phone or computer to be part of the image because that is how we connect to social media. Next I would choose a few items to play a minor role in the photo such as some greenery or flowers or jewelry. Something to catch the attention of my ideal audience.

Staging is what comes next. Find a spot with good natural light. I either go outside or I shoot near a window during a time when the lighting floods in. Position your items in your image with interest. Have them at different angles, some items not fully in the photo. Position the items in a way that doesn’t take attention off of your intended subject, but rather enhances it.

Purpose

Think about how you’re going to use the image. You may want to add text to your image as an advertisement or promotion. That means you’re going to want to have some space open that is fit for text. In this case I would suggest placing your props top heavy leaving the bottom open for text or bottom heavy and leave the top open for text.

Make sure to declutter the image. If there are too many things in the image it makes it too confusing for the viewer. Therefore not as engaging. Also, little things like dust speckles or dent marks in your background matter. Make sure you touch those up or move your subject away from them so they aren’t in the shot.

Capture a lot of images so you have room to play around with them in post processing. Capture different angles. Make sure to shoot wide and close up. It gives you different looks with the same set up.

One tip for setting up a wide shot. Place many items in a wide shot and then crop in on certain areas of the image to make more styled stock photos for your blog out of one setup!

After you’ve captured your styled stock photos for your blog, now you get to edit them to your liking! I’m always a bright and airy kind of gal so I up the exposure, lower the highlights, add in a little more shadows, and pull back the darks. I also tone down my greens usually to achieve a certain look! You can edit in Lightroom, Photoshop or one of the great apps I talk about HERE!

Now that you’ve got these tips and tricks in your tool kit, go get’em! I can’t wait to see what you come up with for your styled stock photos for your blog and Instagram!

Hey there! I'm Abby - a coffee addicted life coach /educator/blogger/mama with a creative soul + passionate heart. My goal is to inspire and encourage passionate women to live a life fulfilled through self-care, a healthy lifestyle, mindfulness, and personal development. Read More…